Zerolight appoints autos veteran Ralf Kalmbach as chairman

Ralf Bain, co-leader of the automotive practice at management consultants Bain & Company, has become the non-executive chairman of autotech firm ZeroLight.

His appointment comes as ZeroLight is ramping up its work with global carmakers and tech giants Amazon and Facebook.

Kalmbach, who has advised OEMs for more than 30 years, will use his pexrtise in brand and technology to provide strategic input on ZeroLight's future direction, the company said.

A real-time CGI technology company, ZeroLight supplies cloud-based tools and technologies to national sales companies for virtual new car experiences.

“ZeroLight has carved a unique position for itself working with manufacturers in the auto retail space, and we’re looking to capitalise on the major changes taking place in the industry," said chief executive Darren Jobling.

"It’s an honour to have Ralf on board as non-executive chairman and his experience and insight will give us a strategic edge. The fact that Ralf has joined is testament to the quality of our team and their work in successfully developing and delivering industry-leading products and platforms.”

Earlier this year Zerolight revealed it has teamed up with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to offer car manufacturers a way of launching new models with a configurator on the online retail platform.

Amazon Live is a streaming platform powered by the Cloud, where users can now explore and configure a car and its optional features digitally.

It follows a similar partnership between Zerolight and Facebook with Volkswagen Group brand, Skoda, last year, and work ZeroLight is doing with Lucid Motors, a US-based luxury EV brand aiming to rival Tesla.